Assad Sentenced to Death, Meta Loses Forrest Case, and More

On August 11, 2026, a court in Syria sentenced former President Bashar al-Assad to death for killings and torture, as reported by ABC News. In a separate legal development, a US court ruled against Meta in a case involving scam ads targeting Australian businessman Andrew Forrest. Additionally, New Zealand's Prime Minister called an urgent meeting to address increased leadership speculation, and former Australian media personality Alan Jones faced trial, with testimony from the brother and ex-girlfriend of an alleged victim. These stories, while diverse, were all covered by ABC News on the same day.